It's All His Fault
by Lady Priscilla Violet Regina
Summary: A very, very dark and controversial ficlet about Hilde and Duo. I understand that this will bring many flames, but I hope that you understand it for what it is. Look deeper, please, and not just at the surface. It's very...intense.
1. Part I

It's All His Fault

By: Lady Priscilla Violet Regina (Hen-chan) 

Disclaimer: I had a dream once where I actually owned the characters used in my stories...then I woke up. *disappointed look* Need I remind you that we are not dreaming? (Most of us?)

Warning: Very angsty, also has some sexual content in it. A bit of language, but not much, more rated for the dark situation and content having to do with sex and it's consequences. *sighs* If you feel mature enough to read this, go right ahead. I'm leaving that choice up to you. Hope you like!

* * *

"Oh, you must be mistaken, Doctor. I can't be..."

"I'm sorry, Miss Schbeiker, but the results are less than 0.01% of the time incorrect."

"But...but we always use protection! Always!"

"Nothing can explain this other than the fact that no matter what you use, it can't always be 100% accurate. I'm sorry."

But I didn't hear him. Before he got halfway into his statement, I was already out the door, tears flying out behind me. Pushing past the various nurses and patients crowding the exit, I burst out of the doors into the rain, not bothering to open my umbrella. Who cared if I, Hilde Schbeiker, got wet? Certainly not me.

Duo always told me I didn't care enough about my health and that I was always concerning myself with everyone else. That's the only way I knew how to live, not caring about myself. If I spent my time worrying over my hair, I wouldn't be able to braid Duo's. If I spent time worrying about my problems...not only would I not hear about his, but people would pity me. And that's the absolute last thing I want.

Pity.

The doctor pitied me, Duo pitied me...

I hate pity.

A taxi cab stopped in front of me, and an elderly gentleman got out and held open the door while ushering me inside.

I stared at him, hair matted to my forehead as the storm above raged on, and felt myself frown before walking briskly off in the opposite direction.

I could hear him calling after me, most of his frail voice getting dragged along in the mercilessly whippy wind, but the general message was clear. He wanted to share the taxi with me because it was raining outside, and because I had just stepped out of the hospital after receiving what was supposed to be the happiest new of my life.

He pitied me, young, careless Hilde, standing out in the rain.

Reaching a park, I ducked under some low hanging limbs of a large oak tree, and plopped down on the soft grass near the trunk, closing my eyes while listening to the rain. Behind my closed lids I could see the flash of lightning, and a few seconds later, the ground rumbled as the thunder arrived.

Thoughts swarming, I tried to calm myself down. But how could I? I was just told that the horrible way I've been feeling lately was because...

Was because of a simple, passion-filled moment between me and my roommate...

Kami, what would he say?

Would he be happy?

Upset?

Angry?

Would he stick around and...help?

That nasty, cold voice in the back of my head answered for me that last question. _Of course not! Why would he stay with you?_

Bringing my knees to my chest, I rocked back and forth, soaking wet, but not caring...

I had much more important matters to deal with.

Much more important.

Hearing muffled footsteps nearby, I wiped my tears on my sleeve and raised my head slowly, hoping that it would be anyone but Duo...

Taking a deep breath, I cautiously opened my eyes, and waited for a moment, letting them adjust as another bolt of lightning hit nearby.

"Hilde? What...why are you out here? It's raining pretty badly..."

I felt disgusted with myself as I unconsciously drew my features into a horrible grimace, and bitterly answered, "I know it's raining, Duo." Why was I being so terrible to him? Again, that nasty voice answered...

__

Because it's his fault and you know it.

`No!' I screamed silently, squeezing my eyes shut tight as I did so. `It is NOT his fault!'

The evil voice seemed to be laughing at me, mocking me. _Yeah, well who put you in this position? It takes two to tango, ya know, and he just happened to ask you to dance._

"Hilde? Let's go home, okay? Did you make it to the doctor's?"

I nodded and allowed myself to be pulled into his warm embrace, immediately loving and hating it at the same time. How as I going to tell him? Something like this certainly couldn't be blurted out at any old time, and I knew it...

* * *

I can't remember much about the car ride through the storm to our apartment, save the fact that I was nuzzled close against him, inhaling nothing but his cologne, my favorite scent: Old Spice.

How or why it happened, I don't know, but soon we were walking in the door smothered against each other while hastily pulling off clothes in a moment of careless passion...

Careless passion.

Careless passion created this...this thing growing in me.

How cold that sounds..._thing_.

How else could I describe it? Baby? Infant? Child?

My child?

I forced myself from his grasp and pushed off the cough, walking swiftly into the kitchen and grabbing a blanket on the way. A very confused Duo was hot on my heels, and seized my arm as I reached the fridge, burying me beneath him in a bruising kiss as I struggled to get away from him.

I tried pushing him away, but found I couldn't, as he was holding onto the refrigerator tightly for leverage, and was much stronger than me. Letting out a muffled scream, I squeezed my eyes tight as he reached down and pulled the blanket from around my quivering body, then pressed himself against it.

This wasn't right, I knew it. Sure, Duo had a lot of passion and lust, but...He had never, ever forced himself on me like this before. Never...

__

Tell him... the evil voice crooned in the back of my mind. _Tell him and you know he'll stop..._

I had had enough. There was only one way to stop this assault.

Silently apologizing to him in advance, I pulled my leg back a bit...

And kneed him in the groin.

Pulling away, terrified, from his cowering form, I wrapped the blanket around me again and tentatively kneeled next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Duo? I'm sorry, really I am, but I need to--"

I never even saw the hit coming, but it knocked me clear across the kitchen and into the table on the far wall. It was evident he was trained to be a soldier...Bringing my knees up to my chest, I huddled under the table, watching him as new rivers of salt water formed along my cheeks, drenching the thin quilt I was holding tightly onto. Duo stood slowly, back to me, and popped his knuckles and wrists, as I had seen him do many times before in moments of stress. Shaking uncontrollably, I burrowed my back into the wall, wishing and hoping to shrink into nothingness before I had to catch a glimpse of what I predicted as hurt spread across his face.

I could not have been more wrong.

My braided lover turned slowly, almost painstakingly around to face me, and glared straight through me, violet eyes flashing in pure anger as he looked up on my shivering form, upper lip curling in a sneer. I knew it was best to stay quiet and hope to go unnoticed when Duo was in one of these moods; however, the latter of the two was quite unavoidable, seeing as I was the one who caused the bringing of this onslaught in the first place. 

"Hilde...Hilde babe, Hilde dear..." His normally cheery and loving tone used to say these pet names was replaced by a low growl emitted from the back of his throat as he walked slowly toward me, eyes dangerous slits. I pushed my backbone even father into the wall until the pain was so excruciating it almost made me forget about the furious former Gundam Pilot I had advancing towards me. Keyword: almost.

"N-n-now, Duo...there is a perfectly good explanation for all of this--"

"Did I give you permission to speak? It's very rude to interrupt, you know."

He knelt down in front of me and reached out a cold hand, lips pursed in a frown, and cupped my cheek in his palm, thumb caressing my lips. "You know what else is rude, Hilde? Kneeing people, especially your lover, in the crotch." I watched, eyes wide, as he brought his other arm forward to rest on my shoulder, slipping inside the blanket. "But, all will be forgiven if you do me a favor..." The corners of his mouth upturned into what can only be described as a malicious grin, and his left eyebrow quirked up characteristically, something I knew only happened when he had 'an idea.' I could feel myself shaking uncontrollably as I waited for the end of this request, and after a moment's pause, he gave it. "...and suck as hard as you can!" Pulling me down to his naked lower half, he forced my mouth over him, deep-throating me instantly.

Gagging, I struggled against the hand holding my head down, and finally got my arm free, bringing it up to push him away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled, standing up quickly and grabbing me before I ran off.

I spat in his face, sneering. "Oh, gee, I'm only pregnant with your child, THAT'S ALL!"

I don't think I've ever seen eyes grown that wide, or a chin drop that quickly. Placing my hands flat on his chest, I pushed him away and sprinted off for our room, closing the door and locking it tight before sinking to the ground, back against it, and sobbing my heart out. _That's it_... the nasty voice egged me on. _Let the bastard sleep on the couch! This is all his fault anyway!_

Half of me wanted to agree, while the other half desperately pushed those ideas away, repeating over and over that it _was not _his fault...

* * * 

I think sometime later, a few minutes at the most, I fell asleep curled up in the blanket, because suddenly it was light out and there was a light knocking on the door, waking me up. Memory foggy, I rubbed my eyes and sat upright against the door, enjoying the vibrations of the knocks pulsating through the wood. Then, a familiar voice floated into my ears...

"Hilde? Are you okay? Please, please answer me."

"D-d-duo?" I called back, amazed at the gruff way my voice sounded. "Why are you out--"

"Hilde, I'm so sorry...please, forgive me...come out and talk, please..."

The events of last night appeared as sharp as a knife in my mind, and as soon as I saw it all, I grabbed the nearby trash can and threw up, coughing violently. I heard the door click and felt it jiggle, then pushed inward slightly as the last person I wanted to see stuck his braided head through the doorway.

"Hilde! My Kami, did you just cough all of that up?" Duo pointed down at my blanket, the trash can, and the floor, and as I glanced down I saw that they were coated with blood. "I have to get you to the hospital!" He squeezed through the crack and kneeled down beside me, arms snaking around my waist.

`No...not again...' 

"Get your hands off of me, Duo!" I shrieked, standing up quickly, but losing my balance and falling right back down again ever quicker. The room around me spun, getting faster and faster until I felt myself throwing up again before everything went black.

* * * 

"Please, Heero...come quickly. I don't know what to do, and you're the one who knows about all this medical stuff. Thanks man, I owe ya." I head a nervous shuffle of feet nearby, and felt a cool, soft something placed on my forehead. 

`Probably a washcloth...'

"Hilde? Oh Kami...please be all right...I couldn't...I couldn't bear to lose you. Onegai..." The choke in Duo's voice was evident, and instinct told me that he was crying. The first thing I wanted to do was comfort him, warp my arms around him and tell him that everything would be okay...and then my conscious self woke up.

Deciding it better to just face these demons and take it like the man I wasn't, I opened my eyes and stared up at him, feeling my face set in a stony frown. Sensing my consciousness, Duo turned away quickly, and grabbed a tissue, blowing his nose loudly.

"Duo." I gasped out, throat throbbing painfully with a raw feel to it.

The said boy turned back to face me, acting nonchalant, but those gorgeous amethyst eyes gave him away: bloodshot and puffy. "You're awake! Wonderful. How do you feel?"

__

He doesn't want to talk about it because he knows how upset you'll be when he announces the time his plane leaves...

It seemed that the worse my headache got, the more evil sounding the voice in the back of my head got.

"Duo...we need to talk."

Again I faced the braided one, eyebrows furrowing as I tried to think of the best way to say what was needed to be said. Reaching out, I took his hand in mine, coughed, and began when I saw I had his full attention. "Duo. I went to the doctor yesterday, as you know, and he ran a bunch of tests on me. After not finding anything, he asked if it would be all right to do a pregnancy test.

"It came back positive, Duo. I'm pregnant. And...you're the father. I know it's you because...well, I've never been with anyone else, not like that."

Silence.

Duo just stared at me, a muscle near his eye twitching involuntarily, but otherwise, face impassive. For a moment he resembled Heero, although his eyes held something much the opposite of Heero's cold gaze. There was a warmth there, an endless fire burning in those violet orbs, igniting my soul and breathing into it a new passion...

A passion for him.

A passion for love.

A passion for life.

Suddenly, just by looking at him for those few eternity-filled seconds, my complete outlook on this thing growing inside me changed.

Scratch that.

My complete outlook on the child, my child, growing inside me changed. I no longer hated myself for letting this happen; I no longer hated Duo's extraordinarily motivated sperm for finding a way past all of the roadblocks we had set...I loved every single part of this idea of a baby between him and I.

I loved my child...our child.

And I most certainly loved Duo.

Beaming as only a new mother could, I raised an eyebrow at my still silent lover, and felt the fear spreading through my veins as the `what ifs' sang their horrible song in my ear.

What if he says he doesn't want it?

What if he says it's not his?

What if he says he does want it? 

Will we have enough money to support it?

What if we run out?

Biting my bottom lip, I continued to gaze upward at him, praying he would be happy...

* * *

A/Ns: I don't hate Hilde! I promise! Don't kill me for it! I believe that a true fan can look at situations that don't necessarily react well with the characters and still enjoy it, and that is what this is. I love Hilde, but for this fic, she was the best person. I write her the best out of all of the girls, and I cannot see this happening to anyone but Hilde. Honestly, though, I love her! She's awesome, and since I've told you that if I get any flames...*growls dangerously* accusing me of character bashing...you'll pay! ^-^ R/R, please!


	2. Part II

Part II

The phone rang, and my life was instantly flushed down the drain. I was worried about Hilde anyway, so naturally, when that chime interrupted the steady stream of silence I had established in the apartment, I jumped a foot out of my chair. Make that a mile. I glare at my least favorite form of communication, but was prompted by yet another annoying ring. Muttering curses in many, many languages under my breath, I angrily pushed myself up from the chair I had been seated in and sauntered slowly over to the phone, taking my time. It was probably just one of Hilde's girlfriends anyway...Kami knows they weren't haters of the phone. 

It had probably rung about five times when I finally picked it up, and heard the frantic voice of someone whom I was not familiar with say hurriedly, "Mr. Maxwell?"

Frowning, I responded. "Yes, this is he."

There was a sigh of relief on the other end which oddly set my nerves on edge. "Your wife, Hilde--"

"She's not my wife." What gave me the sudden urge to correct him? It's not like I didn't love Hilde, didn't consider the option of marriage before. Kami knows I did love her, so goddamned much that it hurt to be away from her. So much that the thought of losing that love to anyone else, anyone, terrified me. Ha, that's a laugh! Me, the God of Death, Shinigami if you will, afraid of losing something I wasn't even sure was mine in the first place. 

The love of a woman.

The older sounding man on the other end of the line seemed, to say the least, taken aback by my comment, but recovered quickly enough to murmur a few seconds later, "That explains why she ran out so quickly! She's not even married to the guy!"

"What?" Thoroughly confused and starting to get extremely worried, I winced as the plastic of the phone bit into my hand while I squeezed tightly, but did not let up on my hold. "What's wrong with Hilde? Who are you? What's going on?" I demanded, practically shouting at the man.

He cleared his throat slowly, and my anxiety increased almost to an unbearable point until finally, he answered. "Hilde came in to see me about how she's been feeling lately, and I ran several tests on her...all of them negative. The last test I ran, though, Mr. Maxwell, came back positive. She's about three weeks pregnant."

One would think my first, initial reaction would be one of shock, as is the case with most surprises. I, however...was angry. Furious, enraged, indignant...call it what you will; I was pissed. My thoughts flew in and out of my conscious mind so quickly that I didn't catch on to them long enough to say anything comprehendible, so the doctor thought my speechlessness was shock and chuckled quietly. How I wanted to shove my phone down his throat...

"I understand why you're surprised, Mr. Maxwell. Hilde...she was quite upset when she heard the news, though, and ran out of here in a huff. That's why I called, to tell you that."

Hilde left? Upset? Good, my subconscious crooned, obviously delighted by this statement. Maybe she got hit by a car, the slut... I smirked at the thought, and the doctor continued. I should have known I couldn't be that lucky... 

"An old man came in and said he offered to share his taxi with her, but she just grimaced and ran off towards the park in the rain."

`It's raining?' I glanced outside, and the beating of the huge droplets on the window confirmed my inquiry, making my smile broaden. Maybe she'll get hit by lightning...and it'll kill the child, but leave her all for me...

"I just thought that maybe you'd like to know, Mr. Maxwell, in case you're going to go get her. If you calm her down enough, maybe you could bring her by? I would like to check a few more things with the baby..."

Rolling my eyes, I answered sarcastically, "Yeah, sure." and hung up, reaching for my sweatshirt and car keys. Odds are I knew exactly where she going...

* * *

"Hilde? What...why are you out here? It's raining pretty badly..." I've always been one to mask my true emotions and this statement was exactly an example of that. I pulled off the `concerned and worried boyfriend that loves you' bit way too easily...and that gullible girl bought it! Much like she did everything else...

Although, surprisingly, when she looked up at me, she was scowling. I frowned back, slightly confused, and she responded sarcastically in a way unlike her normal happy-go-lucky self, "I know it's raining, Duo." 

`Why is she angry? I didn't do anything!' You got her pregnant, moron. `Oh yeah. well it was her fault!' Seeing that frowning at her wasn't going to improve the situation, I quirked a brow, deep in though, and smiled as warmly as I could at her without gagging. "Hilde? Let's go home, okay?" I paused a moment, then decided ignorance was the best way to go. "Did you make it to the doctor's?" I added. Reaching down, I pulled her into my arms, anger subsiding a tad as passion overcame me and reminded me why I loved her so much.

The sight of her put me on edge, preparing to pounce. The scent of her hair had the same effect on me as if I had jumped off a cliff: exhilaration. Her touch...it lit my skin afire, caused my insides to work at a thousand miles a second, and my brain to go into overdrive.

Many would say I'm shallow for listing these things, but don't make assumptions yet; I'm not finished.

A wonderful thing about Hilde is that not only can she strike up a lively conversation with anyone, but she also knows how to listen. I could talk to her for hours, not hear a word come from her beautiful lips, and feel instantly better from the hug she gave me afterwards to reassure and comfort me. She was also very intelligent, which, of course, is why her conversations were more fun than other people's.

The last reason why I loved her so much was because she loved me...only me. She had never loved anyone else, never been intimate with anyone else...never shared her secrets, goals, and fears with anyone else until she met me. She was so pure and naive when we met...I guess that's what probably drew me to her in the first place. Innocence.

That's why I loved her.

Guiding her to the car, I helped her in, buckling her seatbelt and closing the door, then jogged over to my side of the car and got in, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. She pushed against me, sighing contentedly, and I began the drive home. Rain pattered sporadically against the roof of the car, creating a surreal percussion routine that I absently drummed my free hand against the wheel in time to. Hilde sighed again, and I felt her snuggle farther into my black sweatshirt, wet hair brushing against my forearm, causing a tingle to run up and down my spine.

I pulled into the lot of our apartment, and parked in our spot, shutting off the car. She looked asleep, but I knew she was far from is as her hand teased my inner thigh. I allowed a quiet moan escape my dry lips and kissed her forehead, murmuring, "Hilde-babe? We're here." Her eyes popped open as she remained statuesque for a moment before climbing into my lap and planting herself firmly on my upper thighs, shoulders rising and falling quickly as her breathing increased.

"Duo..." she sighed out, hand running up and down my chest, nails raking against the thick cloth separating our lust-filled bodies. "Duo..." she repeated, leaning forward more. "You know what that scent does to me...you naughty, naughty boy, Duo..."

I chuckled, knowing exactly what she was talking about. Old Spice, my cologne, drove her insane as soon as she breathed it in. We have left many a dinner party because the smell was so overpowering she couldn't control the urge to rip my clothes off...

Which is why I wore it as much as I could. 

Her fevered kisses came quicker and less far apart than the rain, which had turned into a steady downpour and was hammering into the hood of my car. Not wanting to continue our actions in such a cramped space, I reached around her and touched the horn, which caused her to jump visibly off my lap, heightening my arousal even more.

"Hilde, we gotta take this inside!" I panted out between kisses. She nodded and opened the door, leaping out and dragging me along up to the apartment building while digging into my pockets for the keys.

`Maybe I should find her soaking wet in a thunderstorm while wearing cologne more often!'

She threw open the door and pulled me against her, which I made no move to prevent, tearing off my sweatshirt in the process. Eventually we made our way to the couch and divested each other of the clothing that was remaining, ready to begin our body worshipping. However, not even five minutes into the action, Hilde stopped, eyebrows meeting and furrowing, and practically leapt off the couch and strode quickly towards the kitchen, grabbing a quilt to cover herself with.

A bit too shocked to respond, I laid still for a few seconds, then jumped off the couch to follow her, figuring it was all just some kind of a game. Hilde was...well, to say the least...in to games. Catching her, I made a sandwich with the refrigerator around her and continued our previous action, kissing her hard.

Only when I felt her tiny frame writhe against mine in an emotion being anything but passion did I realize that she really didn't want to have sex at all, and was trying to get away. In cliche style, the angel and devil in me began their debate. The good in me screamed to stop, and stop I almost did; yet that was before the devil spoke up. _If she actually keeps that thing you created, how many more times will she even get close to flirting with you, buddy? And if she didn't want this in the first place, why did she initiate it? To tease? Take what is rightfully yours!_

I sided with the bad side for once and found out very quickly that that probably wasn't the best choice as Hilde reared back and kneed me in the crotch, dropping me instantly. Pure, intense pain coursed through my body, and I got caught in a coughing fit that racked my lungs and burnt my throat with its dryness, making the situation much worse. Doubled over, I pressed my forehead to the cool tile floor of the kitchen and held my aching lower half, alternately clenching and unclenching my teeth as wave after wave of torture ran through my nerves, setting them on fire.

Feeling slight pressure on my shoulder and a quiet calling of my name in my dazed state, I felt my muscles tense instantly as anger gripped and squeezed my heart, driving rational thought from my head.

I hated her.

Simply that: I hated her.

And at that moment I decided she deserved as good as she gave...

So I hit her.

You heard right. Me, loveable, fun-filled Duo--hit a woman. Not only that, but the woman carrying my child. The woman I presumably loved.

I hit Hilde.

And it felt damn good.

Hearing the thud as she collided with the wall on the opposite side of the room, I felt my lips draw into a smile. All pain leaving my body as my senses numbed, I got to my hands and knees and pushed myself off the floor, standing slowly, but making sure I kept my back to her. I alternately cracked one knuckle at a time on each hand, then my wrists, and finally, my neck, rolling my head around on my shoulders. I could heard Hilde sobbing, weeping, across the room, but did I care? Not in the least bit. I wanted to see, though; I wanted to watch her suffer.

Turning sluggishly around, I faced her, and almost grinned when she cowered back away from me, pushing herself into the wall. This is what I wanted, this is what I thrived on. Fear. I wanted her so afraid of me she was scared shitless to ever leave me for someone else. She could never leave me for someone else, ever. She was mine, as was the child she held.

Mine.

Walking forward leisurely, I glared at her, catching and holding her ice blue eyes for me...just me. "Hilde...Hilde-babe, Hilde-dear..." Just in using those pet names I saw a brand new type of fear instilled in her form, and I wanted to laugh. She was so afraid of me!

"N-n-now, Duo...there is a perfectly good explanation for all of this--"

"Did I give you permission to speak?" The contempt held in my voice was insurmountable by all means--no one could have sounded as angrily calm as I did at just that moment. It was almost mockingly so, even, but it was so angry. "It's very rude to interrupt, you know."

Upon reaching the edge of the table, I knelt down, facing her, and scooted forward, reaching out for her face.

In all the hatred, all the anger...I still loved her. I did, as hard to believe as that may be. I loved Hilde so very much, and nothing could ever change that. She was mine, and I made a point to love all that I owned.

"You know what else is rude, Hilde? Kneeing people, especially your lover, in the crotch."

Still gazing into her terrified eyes, I reached forward with my other hand and slipped it inside the thin quilt wrapped around her body, resting it on her shoulder in a gentle, but firm way. Winking at her, I noted, "But, all will be forgiven if you just do me a favor and suck as hard as you can!" Using surprise and strength, I pushed her down on me, reveling in the immediate pleasure such wet warmth brought flowing through my body. I could feel her teeth clench as she fought against me, grasping frantically at the hand I was using to hold her down, until she finally got a grip on my arm and drug her nails into my flesh while pushing me away at the same time. I jumped up, knocking her off me, and shouted, annoyed, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

That's when reality smacked me square in the forehead, then pushed me over and proceeded to pummel my self-conscious with mind-numbing blows. _She's pregnant! _my thoughts screamed. _She's fucking pregnant and you're forcing yourself on her like a fucking bastard-ass son of a bitch! What the hell is wrong with you?_

I heard the door slam nearby as Hilde had stomped off, and felt my lips tug into a smirk.

Ha...bet she won't try getting pregnant again after what just happened...

I glanced around the disheveled kitchen once and walked out, heading for the couch. Looking to the closed door of my room, I waved slowly, and whispered, "Goodnight, Hilde my dear..."


	3. Part III

Part III: Epilogue

"Good evening all colonies in the Earth Sphere. I'm Julie Avaya, and this is ESNews. On the L2 colony, a double homicide occurred yesterday morning at 10:32. One homicide as a man killed his girlfriend, and one suicide as that same man then took his own life.

No witnesses were present, but a close friend of the man did arrive minutes after the deaths, having been called by the man about medical problems his girlfriend was having. Michael Wardley interviewed the young man later that day; here's a clip."

"What is your name and how do you know Duo Maxwell?"

A brown haired young man, apparently in his early twenties, flashed across the screen, face grave. "My name is Heero Yuy, and Duo and Hilde both were my...friends. Who the hell are you?"

The reporter, a balding man of about 45, frowned, pursing his pudgy lips. "Ah, I'm Michael Wardley, from ESNews. The reporter you agreed to--" The man visibly gulped as Heero pointed a gun down his nose, Prussian blue eyes flickering dangerously.

"I do not associate with reporters."

A jostling of the camera ensued, and soon they were showing footage of a table leg while a frantic voice was picked up over the microphone yelling, "He has a gun! Didn't you see it!?"

A pair of yellow and white tennis shoes strode quickly past the view as a single sound was uttered from their owner. "Hn."

Suddenly, the clip was engulfed in static and soon the screen was showing a very confused Julie Avaya sitting at her desk, eyebrow raised. Noticing she was on the air, she cleared her throat and shuffled her papers, then straightened her glasses before continuing. 

"Ah, looks like there were some problems with the camera, but there weren't any with the cameras at the crime scene!" She glanced off set, face fixed in an ever-present false smile, and waited.

Nothing happened.

Eyebrows furrowing slightly, she repeated her last statement loudly. "But there weren't any problems with the cameras at the crime scene!"

She scowled, receiving some sort of indication there was a problem at the crime scene, and looked straight at the camera, face fixed in a blank stare. Sighing, she flipped forward a few pages in her notes and scanned over them quickly before continuing her report, a picture of the young, dead pair appearing in the top right corner of the screen. "The couple you see here is Duo Maxwell and Hilde Schbeiker, both famous Oz rebels. Brought together by fate, their friends say...but torn apart by a small PP7 with a silencer that Maxwell apparently kept in his house for safety reasons unbeknownst by many, as the Earth Sphere is without weapons. Duo, described by close friend Quatre Winner (who, by the way, did not assault the reporters when questioned), was no murderer, always smiling, always happy...he worshipped Hilde Schbeiker, says Mr. Winner, smiling and shaking his head."

Another reporter in the room, the weather forecaster, added, "And what a cute boy he is, too! Simply adorable!"

Julie nodded, chuckling to herself. "Mr. Winner continued to comment on the couple's situation with, `We all knew it was just a matter of time before he proposed.' But, the proposal never came, and apparently, Maxwell's love for Schbeiker faded as he decided to end her life after what investigators say was a struggled sex scene after returning home during a thunderstorm." Julie paused, bringing a hand to her ear, and a huge smile lit up her face, and she began speaking again. "It seems that the cameras are working at the crime scene again. We will take you there. Warning: The following content may not be suitable for young children, viewer discretion is advised."

The woman's voice was cut off to reveal an eerily silent apartment room covered in police tape that marked off the areas of investigation. The scene suddenly changed into that of a bedroom with the door ajar, and just past it, two bodies, one male, the other female, thought almost unrecognizable with all of the blood spattered across its milky white skin. The male, identified as Duo Maxwell, had a gun in his limp hand, which also had crimson life dripping off of it and seeping into the carpet, staining it beyond repair. Duo was laying across Hilde's legs, face down and blood mingling with hers. Half of the back of his head seemed to be missing, and that chestnut brown hair he was known for looked black and tattered, no longer smooth and shiny as it lay nonchalantly across the hole the bullet had made after entering through the roof of his mouth, killing him instantly. 

Hilde looked even worse, bruises covering her almost naked body, accompanied by cuts and scrapes across her shoulders after being slammed into the wall by Duo earlier. She showed three bullet holes; one in her chest, next to her left breast; one in her head between her once shimmering blue eyes; and one in her stomach, to the right and below her navel. Only two people ever knew why Duo shot her in the stomach first...

That was the only deliberate shot, the other two were brought on by the screaming that tore from Hilde's throat as she clutched at her profusely bleeding stomach, shouting obscenities at the murderer of her child...

Its father.

The screen clicked off, television static popping quietly as the appliance cooled down, and the viewer sighed. Hilde was dead. The baby...also dead. He had gotten what he wanted, didn't he?

Didn't he?

He rose slowly from his seat, dropping the remote on the couch cushion, and made his way to towards the door of the hotel room, running a hand through his unruly and still slightly bloody bangs. Turning off the light, he grasped the handle of the door and pulled it open, gazing out quickly for sign of other hotel guests. Seeing none, he donned his black trench coat and strode off down the hallways, braid swinging back and forth behind him...


End file.
